23 Sep 2010

Parties to the Barcelona Convention declared the 25th of September as Coast Day. On this day Slovenia, as a first Mediterranean country, ratified the Protocol of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). Meeting of Mediterranean countries which signed the mentioned protocol is being organized by the Slovenian Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning on 25th September 2010 in Portorož. As part of the meeting various NGOs will present their work trough different activities at the Bernardin lagoon. Morigenos will set up an information point, present the photo exhibition on bottlenose dolphins and the humpback whale and hold a lecture about life of dolphins and their role in the marine ecosystem. DOPPS (BirdLife Slovenia) will introduce the protected area of Škocjan inlet, Škocjan Caves Park will present their work, while Eco Vitae and Nemo Divers will organize the cleaning of Slovenian coastline (both above water and underwater).

Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the smallest living cetacean species, reaching only up to 1,5 meters. Why is it so special? It lives only in the northern area of the Gulf of California, Mexico (Sea of Cortez). The vaquita (meaning »little cow«) is a very elusive and shy creature and is in critical danger of extinction. Latest findings reveal that only about 250 animals remain. Their numbers are declining, mainly because of accidental entanglement in gill nets. Is vaquita next in line to disappear after the extinction of the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) in 2007?

In October 2008 earthOCEAN launched project Expedition Vaquita and joined scientists to document their effort to estimate the population size, identify the main problems and find solutions. Check out the documentary Vaquita – Last chance for the desert porpoise and see what they discovered.

“The vaquita has no value as a commodity: It is too shy and small ever to support an ecotourism venture. It is not a vital link in the marine food chain. There is no cure for any human disease lurking in its liver proteins. It is just a lowly beast trying to make its way, like the rest of us. Its loss would barely be noticed. Yet it is part of the magnificent diversity of life on Earth that our generation inherited, and it is rapidly becoming part of the dwindling legacy we are leaving behind. We have a year or two now to decide whether we are going to let this species live, or whether, like the baiji, we vote it off the island and wipe that little black smile off the face of the Earth forever.”

Do you still remember the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that appeared in Slovenia (north Adriatic) in 2009? We've got more extraordinary news about this species. Colleagues from CE.TU.S Cetacean Research Centre informed us about a humpback whale sighting 1 km off the town Viareggio (Tuscany, Italy), on 27th August 2010. We immediately compared their photographs to ours and found out that this is not the same individual that visited Slovenian waters last year.